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Best Looking Character

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Aquaslash, Jul 24, 2008.

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  1. Aquaslash

    Aquaslash

    <The Has-been Legend> Moderator
    A little different from your average favorite character topic, this one's all about character design. As you know, the Sonic gang have come in all shapes and sizes over the years. What are your hits? What are your misses? Talk about it all here.

    As always with any topic like this I start, all canons and eras are covered. You can like classic Sonic and hate modern Knuckles, and it doesn't mean a thing.

    I'm gonna start it off with my top three winners.


    3. Jet the Hawk
    Jet's most redeeming asset is by far his appearance for me. The dude just plain looks cool. Game characters tend to have good balance of colors in general, and Jet's no exception. Probably because he had good colors to begin with. The fact that he takes such clashing colors as green and red, and makes it work is a big plus for him. The "tattoos" are also a nice touch, and dare I say he's got the best shoes of any current character aside from Sonic's Soaps.

    2. Modern Metal Sonic
    For a Sonic robot, Metal Sonic was pretty badass looking to begin with. Then the Sonic Channel dude had to get a hold of him, and DAMN. It's like they built an actual Metal Sonic that is fully articulated in every way. If they made a toy based on this version, I'd buy like, five. He looks especially dangerous now, and they even made the whole ball in the back of the head deal not suck like it did in the Sonic CD art.

    1. Super Shadow
    This basically boils down to really good selection of colors. He's very much a low level SA2 Super Sonic retool, and a damn good one at that. I was always particularly fond of the dimension in his head quills to start with. He looks great in black and red, but somehow, the light cream color and red look even BETTER. Also, I did appreciate the extra details in SA2 such as the metallic chest hair and the shorter forehead stripe, as well as the black and red power aura. The change from Shadow to Super Shadow is simple, yet effective.

    So there's my top three hits. What are yours? I'll come back with my misses later.
     
  2. Dark Sonic

    Dark Sonic

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    This. Metal Sonic is awesome in many ways and he looks awesome to top it off.

    Oh and for misses I'm going to say classic Chaotix. They all looked awful. Vector was too scrawny and Espio just was strange. Their modern designs really helped them out IMO, if only they kept Mighty.
     
  3. ICEknight

    ICEknight

    Researcher Researcher
    Between those, I choose Mountain Dew Voltage. :P




    My favourites would be Sonic, MetalSonic and Robotnik, I guess... The original designs. =|
     
  4. Phos

    Phos

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    3. Metal Sonic
    Looks amazingly sinister, in spite of matching classic Sonic's proportions. I haven't seen much of his heroes retool, so I can't say much about that.

    2. It's a tie! (sorta)
    [​IMG]
    Silver without the Napoleon Dynamite shoes, and also not looking like "Star Trek rubber forehead alien Sonic". Not to say I don't like Silver's final design, but I prefer this one for looking more different compared to Sonic. Also, his spines DO flatten out a bit in Sonic 06, just not as much as in that picture.
    [​IMG]
    An entirely different concept for Silver? Metal Silver? Super Silver? whichever it is, it's a really slick design. A cool (and completely made up on the spot idea) would be while Silver is altering the present (his past), his appearance changes due to what he changes.

    1. It's another sorta tie!
    Sonic's "Sonic Adventure 1 IN GAME" design. A pretty much perfect translation of classic Sonic, while fixing a few problems with the original design (his arms aren't long enough to reach over his head), as well as a few incompatibilities with 3D space (lengthening his quills prevents him from looking like just a little blue man). Interestingly, the only places where he exactly matches the related art work is his eyes, otherwise it doesn't really follow the artwork.

    Sonic's "Sonic Unleashed IN GAME" design. varies slightly from the pre rendered stuff (which has been the same since Mario & Sonic, maybe even before that), it seems like Sega just can't get them to match up. Regardless, his new model is rakish while retaining much of what makes him Sonic.

    A few other awards:

    Most improved:
    Espio the Chameleon!
    I like what they did with his tail. I do not like what they did to his attitude. He used to behave more like Jin Satome, now he behaves more like Strider Hyru. He used his color changing abilities to make himself more visible in Chaotix, not less.

    Best Sonic Team in general:
    NiGHTS, by a pretty big margin. An amazing exercise in subtlety, It wasn't until the JoD redesign (aka, butchering) that I noticed NiGHTS's coat, and only then it was because they made it a contrasting color. You don't even notice NiGHTS's lack of neck and wrists, you just accept it as it is. With Rayman (or any other limbless character), the missing limbs were the whole point to his design, there's nothing interesting about him otherwise. Jackle is of course another exception to this rule, his limbless nature is not meant to be noticed until you throw of his mantle, you then have a "He's not so tough" moment when you relise he's just head, hands, and feet.

    You might be wondering why I favor new Sonic to Classic Sonic, but I believe that his SA1 design was still following the classic design.

    E: no longer linking to Sonic Cult
     
  5. Mr. Fox

    Mr. Fox

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    I like Tails, because that's the first female character in the series.

    Then Shadow is awesome, because he's so dark and tragic, and he doesn't take shit from anyone, and he had a TRUE LOVE omg omg

    And then I like Marine because she's like "yarr mateys".
     
  6. D.A. Garden

    D.A. Garden

    Sonic CD's Sound Test Member
    My favourite looking character in the Sonic series is Eggman Nega. He has the evil look of the original Eggman, but also looks like he has a more cunning and strategic ego than the original. Anyone who has a grey moustache that long, thick and spiky looking and isn't ashamed to show it off has to be cool. Plus those techno goggles on his head and the shades he wears give him much more of an edge over the original Eggman.

    In my opinion, a brilliant take on the classic Eggman look.
     
  7. PC2

    PC2

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    I have a liking for Werehog in that he looks a lot different than the other characters SEGA's been churning out since 2001 - his body proportions are completely different, and he actually wears cleats <--- new concept! Ever since the release of SA2, pretty much every character looks identical to another in some way, shape, or form. But not Werehog - he's got those huge arms, and he's so cool, he doesn't even need to wear gloves like nearly every other character. For what it's worth, I also like some of Shahra's designs, which can be seen in this video (at approx 1:48-2:10).

    As far as Sonic's own design goes, I think I like the classic and Sonic Adventure/Sonic Adventure 2 designs the best. After Sonic Adventure 2, the Sonic art became a little weird... They started making him shorter again and shrunk his quills down, I guess to try and be "oldschool" and look more like he did in Sonic X. It just doesn't feel right that way, though. During the Dreamcast era, the character renders made them look more like teenagers (which is, after all, what they are), and I like how they arched Sonic's back to show that he was relaxed in many of them. Sonic's AoStH design was also kinda cool imo, despite its inaccuracies with the games. The mohawk looked kind of cool, and it was interesting the way they "interpreted" Sonic's spinning attacks - the whole "razor" thing made Sonic's abilities seem a lot more menacing and powerful.
     
  8. nineko

    nineko

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    Rouge, because she has boobs
     
  9. Sakura Courage Solo

    Sakura Courage Solo

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    Rouge needs to cover those boobs up... sheesh. >.< If its one thing I can't stand, its a woman, furry or otherwise, showing off her midriff like it means something.

    Do SU and SatAM count? I know it says all eras and all canons, but is that for games AND TV, or just games? Meh.

    Well, I'm gonna say my fave is definitely Manic from Sonic Underground. Yeah, I know hardly anyone around here likes SU, but I find Manic a very appealing character for several reasons. Firstly is his looks: I think he was captured nicely as looking like Sonic's brother without actually making him look like another Sonic. Manic also has an interesting past. Most characters' pasts seem a little standard, such as simply abandoned at birth or parents dying when young, such as that, but how many characters have a past like being a prince who was taken from someone else's doorstep and raised as a thief? Not saying it hasn't been done, but its been done a lot less than other stuff I've seen. I also find Manic's surfer accent and personality amusing.

    Next, Sonic CD Amy is also FTW. I'll be honest, I DO NOT like Adventure/Advance Amy. She looks like a plushie you'd buy for your girlfriend on Valentine's Day with all the red, white and pink. Sonic CD Amy looked more natural for what the series was. All I can say for new-type Amy is that her quill-style is more creative and feminine for her looks than the usual 3-quills-on-the-back-of-the-head. Overall though, Sonic CD Amy is WAY better.

    And I'll go ahead and say it: I thought Black Doom was kind of a cool villain. It was definitely a nice change from Dr. Robotnik. I mean, yeah. Dr. Robotnik is the standard, canon butter ball of a mad scientist we all know and love to hate, but sometimes a little deviation is good. There's still one thing I'm not sure I get though: Shadow is made from Black Doom's DNA, right? If that were true, why did Shadow come out as a Hedgehog and not a Black Arm? My thesis is that Black Doom once was a Hedgehog himself, and so the coding is still in his DNA. Maybe Black Doom just looks as he does now because of some power he's gained that spurred a transformation, A.K.A. the Black Doom from ShTH might actually be something of a 'super form', whereas this is a possible explanation for why Shadow still came out a Hedgehog. *shrugs*
     
  10. Chronoja

    Chronoja

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    Tails, first female character o.0 ? am I missing something, I thought "Miles" was a dude

    anyways. The old sonic hands down is the best looking character. He was just cool and didn't even have to try. He tries too hard to be cool these days.

    Also I like the Chaotix sprites I think they were fine. Their heroes updates did them no favours. Vector is now far too short and wide. Espio is ok I guess, he looks more nimble and agile but he was fine as he was. Charmy, well you cant really say cause in Chaotix he was merely a pixel so I suppose it was an upgrade.

    Plus I always thought Fang/Nack was a kickass designed character. Its a shame they dropped him
     
  11. The Shad

    The Shad

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    Me.
     
  12. Sith

    Sith

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    The Tails (fe)male debate again... *facepalms*
     
  13. Rage

    Rage

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    Rouge. But only her first incarnation, as it had the biggest tits.

    Also, I'm fond of the '07 StH "realistic" Eggman. Like, a lot. I'm a fan of villains, you see.
     
  14. Hybrid Project Alpha

    Hybrid Project Alpha

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    Vanilla the Rabbit, Wave the Swallow, and Bunnie Rabbot after her robot limbs became more proportionate

    Because they're sexy
     
  15. Ollie

    Ollie

    DIGGY DIGGY HOLE Member
    Personally, I've always liked Knuckles' design back in the day even though he was very similar to Sonic, it was some what different from Sonic & Tails. It was the little minor details that made him look well done, his shoes weren't as simple as Sonic and Tails, as well as the way the Dreadlocks are shaped so he doesn't look completely flat.
     
  16. Ritz

    Ritz

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    The original Vector. I honestly don't understand why so few people appreciate the character; next to Big, he has the single most unique design of any other character in the series. Everything about him, from his appearance to his personality, is just one big class act. It's as though Oshima constructed him, to the furthest extent of his ability, with the intent of expressing his personality through movement alone. His gaunt, ergonomic build, the way he curls up into a donut when he rolls and arches his back when he's straining against his combi partner, even the way he waves his tail and breaks the 4th wall by glancing at the screen every so often when he runs- so much detail was put into his character. It's these sort of traits that allegedly made Sonic as popular as he was, but Vector just does it so much better. I mean, check out the way he busts a move when you stand still and tell me Vector didn't have more "attitude" in his pinky finger. And, y'know, he just looks cool. Why disclose a whole paragraph on the issue when that's all it really boils down to?

    Next to him, I also have a soft spot for Bark and Rotor. And Sonic, of course, but he doesn't really count.
     
  17. Overlord

    Overlord

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    Anyone who says Tails isn't a girl is wrong. :(
     
  18. nineko

    nineko

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    <!--quoteo(post=211310:date=Jul 26 2008, 10:10 PM:name=Overlord)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Overlord @ Jul 26 2008, 10:10 PM) [​IMG]
     
  19. Ashura2k

    Ashura2k

    Thants. Oldbie
    In terms of design, I'd say my favorite is the post-SA Robotnik. I know many will disagree, but the a militaristic costume looks much more like something an evil scientist could wear than some yellow V's. I mean, what were they thinking when they designed CLASSIC Robotnik? What are those V's even supposed to be a a part of? SA Robotnik may have some weird strap doo-dads, but at least what he's wearing can be easily identifiable as a jacket.

    [​IMG]

    vs.

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Toasty

    Toasty

    BulbaSAUR! Member
    [​IMG]

    Very cartoony, friendly looking, and simple. Out of the 5 characters I care about (Tails, Sonic, Knuckles, Blaze, Robotnik) Sonic was my favorite design. I'm not really sure when that "modern" design came into play, but it's probably why I was completely turned off by the newer Sonic games. I never played any of the newer Sonic games (save for Sonic Heroes, which was awful) because Sonic looks so goddamn stupid nowadays. When I was a little kid I looked up to Sonic, played his video games, watched his TV shows, bought his merchandise, why? Probably because he looks friendly. The "modern" design of Sonic the Hedgehog would've scared the shit out of me in 1993, the year I got Sonic 2 for Christmas.
     
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